Matt Barton has always been a mechanical mind—from taking apart an heirloom cuckcoo clock at four years old to heading research and development and new product development for what was the largest jeep aftermarket suspension company in the country, he’s always had an interest in figuring out what makes things work. Most recently, Barton moved to Indianapolis and founded The Hero Lab, providing interactive marketing and Motorsports fabrication.

Barton explains that when you start your own company, CAD isn’t just another tool—it is an integral part of how you build and how you design. It’s part of the process of getting things done, he says. He was talking to a friend about problems he was having with an open-source CAD modeling software he was using when the friend suggested Solid Edge. Barton applied to the Solid Edge Startup Program, and was quickly on his way.

Now, Barton is a hero to his customers, bringing quality, precision and expertise to their projects, and is living his tagline, “Where imagination meets metal.”